Belgium's Gaming Commission is investigating
whether the loot boxes of «Star Wars: Battlefront II» and «Overwatch» should be considered as gambling.
The regulatory body of Belgium is trying to determine
whether the loot boxes offered by the upcoming «Star Wars» game is considered as gambling.
Late last month, three Washington senators introduced legislation calling for a study into
whether loot boxes constitute gambling.
A bill introduced by state Sen. Kevin Ranker, D - Orcas Island, this month in the Legislature aims to find out just that, asking Washington officials and game developers to determine
whether loot boxes — and similar video game mechanics — are a form of gambling that preys on children.
Hawaii state Rep. Chris Lee's legislation doesn't seek to answer the question of
whether loot boxes are gambling.
While there is robust debate over
whether loot boxes should be considered gambling, the fact that they are both expensive habits and use similar psychological principles suggest loot boxes should be treated with extra scrutiny.
Queensland said they are «currently investigating»
whether loot boxes could indeed «offend any legislation we administer.»
The Organizations That Could Do Something About Loot Boxes Don't Care (Patrick Klepek / Waypoint) «The heated conversation around loot boxes is unlikely to die down anytime soon, and one question raised is
whether loot boxes represent a form of gambling.
According to a recent news story, Senator Kevin Ranker, a Democrat representing Orcas Island, introduced a bill that asks state officials and game developers to figure out
whether loot boxes and other similar game mechanics are nothing more than a form of gambling that takes advantage of children.
Just recently, Australian and Belgium authorities are now questioning
whether loot boxes fall under gambling legislation.
The question is
whether the loot boxes found in Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Overwatchviolate this law.
Now, governments around the world are looking into
whether loot boxes should stick around.
Other than the usual Pay - to - Win complaints, which have been common for years now, the big question is now
whether these loot boxes constitute a form of gambling or not.
The debate over
whether loot boxes should be considered gambling, feels like it has reached breaking point.
The heated conversation around loot boxes is unlikely to die down anytime soon, and one question raised is
whether loot boxes represent a form of gambling.
PEGI followed in the foosteps of the ESRB, except it put the onus on gambling commissions to make a determination on
whether loot boxes are materially different and require regulation:
The debate over
whether loot boxes should be thought of as gambling tools is not going to go away, with the UK
Kansspelautoriteit investigated whether items received in loot boxes had a monetary value and
whether the loot boxes had a high addiction factor.
The debate over
whether loot boxes should be thought of as gambling tools is not going to go away, with the UK Gambling Commission ruling that boxes do not come under its control because the rewards on offer were usable only in the game.
This fact gave rise to the question of
whether loot boxes are permitted on the grounds of the Betting and Gaming Act (Wet op de kansspelen).
Now, Washington State lawmakers have joined the fray and are digging deeper in an effort to determine
whether loot boxes are a form of gambling targeting children.
According to a recent news story, Senator Kevin Ranker, a Democrat representing Orcas Island, introduced a bill that asks state officials and game developers to figure out
whether loot boxes and other similar game mechanics are nothing more than a form of gambling that takes advantage of children.
Following the huge controversy with Star Wars Battlefront II loot boxes, which eventually forced EA to remove them temporarily, there's been a lot of talk
whether loot boxes can be considered as gambling.
Chris and Louise discuss
whether the loot box war has already been lost, and which 16 - bit games they'd like to see resurrected.
Not exact matches
Whether we are seeing a wave of criticism that will end up erasing or minimizing the use of
loot boxes from mobile gaming (and gaming more generally) remains to be seen.
If lawmakers go ahead and regulate
loot boxes, I wonder how that will affect the various genres of games that depend on them, and
whether we'll end up with something better or not.
The Netherlands Gaming Authority was also interested in
whether addiction risks are associated with opening
loot boxes.»
Whether it be avoiding the implementation of
loot boxes, or omitting a highly requested feature that would otherwise imbalance an experience, developers whose decisions align with their vision of a game, over the fastest route to sales, give us hope that there is still some creativity in this creative industry.
Not about
whether it's any good but
whether its controversial
loot boxes constitute gambling.
They also talk about Monolith's decision to pull microtransactions, and
loot boxes from Middle Earth: Shadow of War, and
whether its too little too late.
Because of the backlash to Battlefront II, Shadow of War, and similar mechanics in Need for Speed Payback,
loot boxes are currently being dissected in gaming and non-gaming communities as to
whether they constitute gambling.
With the debacle that was Star Wars Battlefront II and its implementation of
loot boxes gaining such publicity the question of
whether they are...
Aside from the legal status of the
loot boxes, Kansspelautoriteit also probed into
whether these posed addiction risks to players.
The issue of
loot boxes and
whether they should be considered gambling has been an issue for some time within the gaming world, but it seemed to come to a head with this particular product.
It will be interesting to see
whether the next wave of blockbuster games contain
loot boxes that require a financial contribution to unlock or if the makers revert to allowing gameplay to take its course.
Loot boxes come in several varieties but regardless of how exactly they are designed the key ethical question for loot boxes is whether their value is clear and understandable to the purcha
Loot boxes come in several varieties but regardless of how exactly they are designed the key ethical question for
loot boxes is whether their value is clear and understandable to the purcha
loot boxes is
whether their value is clear and understandable to the purchaser.
Or to put it another way,
whether it has
loot boxes.
It's unlikely to eradicate
loot boxes from video games, but even giving publishers pause about
whether they want to endure the endless negativity in pursuit of a few extra dollars is a start.
Other key questions that were left unaddressed included inquiries around
whether EA would lower the number of microtransactions in the game, or why the company had opted for
loot boxes that affected gameplay, rather than being purely cosmetic.
It was actually an Electronic Arts game that stirred the ongoing debate over the nature of
loot boxes and
whether these constituted a form of gambling.
A number of gambling regulators, including those of the Netherlands and Belgium, launched probes into
loot boxes and
whether buying them represented gambling.
News about South Korea penalizing some of its biggest gaming companies come amid a heating debate about
whether the so - called
loot boxes in video games and their random contents constitute gambling.
Even regulators are now paying more attention to microtransactions, as Belgium's Gaming Commission is investigating
whether Star Wars: Battlefront II
loot boxes should be considered as gambling.
Eurogamer asked the Gambling Commission
whether it was looking into the issue of gambling and
loot boxes in video games.
Whether you know them as chests, crates or card packs, they ultimately serve the same purpose -
loot boxes require you to pay real - life money in exchange for a randomised item.
«We certainly considered
whether or not
loot boxes would constitute as gambling.
I mean, you now have developers announcing
whether a game will have
loot boxes before the game's been announced, and designers re-examining the ethics of including types of microtransactions that may prey upon people unable to control impulses.
Its goal is clear: to examine «
whether the use of
loot boxes in video games constitutes a gambling operation in the sense of the Belgian Gaming and Betting Act.»
TL; DR: If it can be bought with real money (through
loot boxes, through a premium currency, or directly), and it affects the gameplay in some way (
whether it's objectively an «upgrade» or not), and it isn't something that would fall under the «Expansive Expansions» - tag, then it's Changing The Game.
So in the interests of trying to find some positivity in this Battlefront II mess, let's take a look at other games that use
loot boxes and F2P aftermarket gameplay items in a good way, and think about how EA DICE might improve things in the future,
whether through patches or in a theoretical sequel.